Small-business accelerator Seedlab Australia is set to receive a further $7 million in funding from Woolworths.
Over the next three years, Seedlab will use the funding to help more small businesses grow their brands on supermarket shelves across Australia and New Zealand. This comes as Seedlab commences the latest round of its free small business accelerator program with over 50 small ANZ businesses and opens its doors for applications for the next round.
Fully funded by Woolworths, Seedlab Australia will help producers of food, beverage, home, and personal care products start, scale, and grow through training and support from industry experts in business strategy, production, range, distribution, and branding.
The program has helped identify businesses that can scale in high-growth categories such as artisan foods, health and wellness, and more sustainable products. Those ready for retail distribution will have the opportunity to pitch directly to the Woolworths buying team.
Woolworths has supported Seedlab since 2021, providing $6 million to previously enable 400 small businesses to participate in Seedlab’s programs for free.
Almost 400 businesses have gone through the Seedlab small business accelerator programs, and an increasing number are now found in national supermarkets across the country.
“This three-year commitment from Woolworths will be a game-changer for over 500 small business founders in Australia and New Zealand who will benefit from extra support to take their business to the next level,” said Seedlab Australia’s CEO and co-founder, Dr Hazel MacTavish-West.
“Together, we have deconstructed the processes for pitching to, supplying into and working with national supermarkets and specialty retailers for our participants. We have already seen over 100 small suppliers cumulatively invest $26 million into their businesses, expand their production by over 210 per cent, and create 140 new jobs.”
MacTavish-West leads a team of six business experts with more than 185 years of commercial experience in food science, technology, retail, marketing, human resources and communications.
As part of its expanding partnership with Seedlab, Woolworths announced that Seedlab’s Business Support Programs will also be open to small businesses already supplying Woolworths Supermarkets for the first time. The intention is to help brands sustainably navigate the tricky growth phase of expanding their distribution.
Two of Seedlab’s earliest participants, Ambika Malvia and Vikram Kotibhaskar, who founded the Indian meal kit business Spicecraft, have gone on to increase their production tenfold.
“Partnering with Seedlab, we’re able to help give small businesses a crash course in supermarket retail and invest in helping them grow,” said Woolworths’ Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Harker.
“So far, we’ve seen 400 businesses go through the Seedlab Accelerator Program, helping them become retail-ready, with some now stocked on our shelves and available to our customers to enjoy.
Harker added that investing in small businesses was crucial to a flourishing local food and manufacturing industry. They were excited to continue working with small businesses like Spicecraft and see them thrive in stores.
Seedlab Australia delivers its unique and proven program online via live meetings, on-demand video content, and 1:1 tailored advice to participants, masterclasses and workshops.
